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French Naturalist and Zoologist

Sims performed experimental surgeries on enslaved women to develop techniques for repairing vesicovaginal fistulas.

French Naturalist and Zoologist

Who: J. Marion Sims What: J. Marion Sims conducted surgical experiments on enslaved Black women without anesthesia. 

When: Experiments lasted between 1845 - 1849. 

Where: Alabama, USA. 

Details: Sims performed experimental surgeries on enslaved women to develop techniques for repairing vesicovaginal fistulas. These procedures were extremely painful and were done without anesthesia, based on the belief that Black women felt less pain than white women. 

Why and How It Was Racist: Sims' experiments exploited enslaved women and were conducted under the racist belief that Black individuals had higher pain tolerance. These unethical practices were justified by the perceived inferiority of Black people. 

Sources: 

Journal Article:
Wall L. L. (2006). The medical ethics of Dr J Marion Sims: a fresh look at the historical record. Journal of medical ethics, 32(6), 346–350. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2005.012559

Websites:
Washington, H. A. (2019, January 29). A medical hell recounted by its victims. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-00340-5#:~:text=In%20the%201840s%2C%20the%20Alabama,they%20became%20addicted%20to%20it.

Address

Johns Hopkins University
2800 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

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